HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK WITH MERCER UNIVERSITY PRESS
Mercer University Press seeks to publish works of excellence in the following fields:
(1) Southern Studies (including culture, history, literary, biography)
(2) Creative Writing (Southern literary fiction, essays, poetry, memoir)
(3) Natural History (creative writing, history)
(4) Religious and Philosophical Studies
(5) Literary Criticism
As a university press, Mercer University Press strives for accuracy of substance and form. Works will be considered that represent only the highest standards of scholarly research and literary style. The publication process for unsolicited works begins when a prospective author sends a book proposal to:
Marc Jolley, Director
Mercer University Press
jolley_ma@mercer.edu
The book proposal should contain at least the following information:
a. Title and genre of your work.
b. Full name, address, email address, and telephone number of the author.
c. A brief biographical sketch of the author. Indicate previous publications, if any. (More information and a photo will be requested later if the book is selected.)
d. An outline of the book indicating the titles and focus of each chapter.
e. A brief statement about why you think this book should be published. Who are the people you are trying to reach? What are you trying to tell them? What contribution are you trying to make? Who do you think would be interested in this book?
f. The present state of the book. Is the manuscript completed? When do you expect to complete it? Is it in a Microsoft Word document? (If selected, your manuscript must be submitted on a flash drive.)
g. If you send a hard copy of your material, it will be recycled. Should you wish for materials to be returned to you, please include sufficient postage.
After submitting the proposal, please allow the editor adequate time to evaluate it. This normally takes a few weeks for a proposal or 3-6 months for a complete manuscript. Each proposal is read by several persons and discussed in light of its merits and the resources and staff available to work on it. Unfortunately, not every proposal/manuscript will be accepted. Difficult decisions often mean rejecting very good manuscripts.
If your proposal is accepted, we will issue you a contract. Once a contract is completed, it normally takes about a year for the book to be published. Many other books are already in process, and adequate time must be given to copyediting, designing a format, proofreading and correcting galleys, reviewing page proofs, and (finally) printing. Some books have special features that require even more time. Even before your book is released, we will begin to promote it through advertisements, catalog, announcements, and arrangements with book wholesalers/retailers. We will ask for your assistance in promoting the book, by seeking and securing endorsements and by scheduling speaking/signing sessions in your area or on book tour.
We take our responsibilities as publishers seriously and are deeply committed to the task. We thank you for considering Mercer University Press as the publisher of your work.
Updated: 5 April 2024